There is a reason why many companies are releasing bending devices. The most important reason is that they are fashionable and look remarkably unique in a market filled to the brim with ordinary slabs of metal and glass. These flipping or folding devices are intended to spark interest and conversations in the smartphone space, and for the most part, they have succeeded in doing just that.
In this case, OPPO introduced the N2 Flip, which entered the market fashionably late. The Kenyan market, for instance, has received a lot of attention in this segment from Samsung Z Flip devices (now on their 5th iteration), and the rest of the world has seen similar offerings from other manufacturers such as Motorola, which resurrected its RAZR series from the 2000s.
The OPPO N2 Flip is particularly interesting because, in the Kenyan context, it brings much-needed competition and reasonable pricing that the market has been lacking for a considerable time. This is why I believe the N2 strikes a good balance between practical considerations (how well a phone performs for day-to-day use) and subjective measures (how well it handles other tasks that some people might not prioritize as much).
At this point, I could conclude this assessment with that observation, but let’s go a bit further into the N2, which I’ve had in my possession for the last fortnight or so.
The crease is mostly invisible
Flipping devices have been criticized because of creases. This is the visible part of the display where a person can tell that the bending part of a phone occurs. At the risk of making this sound like a comparison, Samsung has had this issue for as long as I can remember – and it is still visible on the Flip 5 launched recently. However, the N2 does a well job hiding it, and I believe that the engineering folks at OPPO will iteratively improve it till it gets fully invisible in the future.
Why is this important? It makes the display look uninterrupted, significantly enhancing the user experience. In the case of the N2 Flip, it doesn’t mean that the hinge isn’t there; however, its prominence is largely subdued, and I appreciate that a lot.
No ‘thigh’ gap
When you close the N2 Flip, the two parts of the phone fully mate and do not leave any gap at the hinge section. This is quite impressive, and this feature has since been seen in other devices, such as the Moto RAZR 40 Ultra. Samsung only managed to achieve it with the Flip5, but we are all glad it is here.
The design makes the N2 Flip look cleaner, reminiscent of the good ol’ flip phones. The design also ensures that dust or any other unwanted materials do not sneak onto the display, considering that the screen is fragile and requires careful handling. Kudos to OPPO!
Great software and support for the cover/secondary display
If you’ve used an OPPO before, then the software situation in the N2 would be familiar to you. The device runs Android 13 with ColorOS 13. OPPO states that the N2 will receive major software updates for four years (from the launch date) and five years of security updates. What’s not to love about this?
The cover screen in this case is interesting because it is large and can be used for a number of functions. First, you can use the always-on display feature on it, with tricks such as multiple clocks and color styles. However, I noticed that the cover display still dims even if the always-on display is activated. Nevertheless, you can double-tap to wake and double-tap to switch it off.
If you need to access notifications on the cover screen, you must unlock the display via a quick and reliable fingerprint reader embedded in the power button. You can also access quick settings on the panel, expand your notifications, and access a variety of widgets.
The cover screen is useful, but I believe it should be extended horizontally rather than vertically. This would allow it to incorporate more features, such as replying to messages via a full-fledged keyboard, as is the case with, say, the Flip. For now, it is mostly functional with very few issues.
The larger display is bright and tall. ColorOS features are still present, and you can do cool things such as theme the phone extensively or even set up an always-on display as you would on the cover display. There are numerous features to explore here, and as usual, my favourite one is the option that lets you turn off the device solely with fingerprint authentication. If you’ve used ColorOS before, this should be familiar territory.
The cameras are great
The camera setup on the Find N2 Flip matches what the competition offers – it includes a primary wide module and an ultrawide lens. Telephoto lenses are not practical on smaller foldable devices, which is also the case with the Galaxy Flip series.
Outdoors and in good lighting, the Find N2 Flip delivers impressive photos. The colours are pleasing, striking a balance without going overboard, and the white balance is generally accurate. The images show an excellent dynamic range and offer ample contrast. Details are great, and noise is kept to a minimum.
Following the trend seen in recent OPPO devices, the Find N2 Flip automatically applies NIGHT mode in Photo mode when in low-light situations. Thus, the photos snapped in either mode, particularly with the main camera at 1x, are largely similar.
These are indeed impressive photos. They’re well-exposed, featuring a broad dynamic range, well-handled shadows, and controlled highlights. Colours have pleasing saturation, and there are no issues with white balance.
This is a great camera phone, and I doubt you will take any bad pictures with it.
The price is just right
We are at a time in Kenya when smartphones have shot up in price because of a more stringent tax regime and a tanking KES against the dollar. The N2 Flip, in this case, costs KES 130K, or thereabouts. This is substantially lower than the Galaxy Z Flip5, which costs KES 60K more. Is that price difference backed up with functionality features or any other rationale? The answer is no, so unless you have Galaxy Z Flip5 money, the N2 Flip is a better choice if you want to save some money. This is perhaps the most crucial consideration when buying a flipping or any other phone. If the price is good and you can get the features you want, just pick it and skip on an expensive equivalent.
Conclusion
My experience with N2 has been excellent because it has excellent software and a great camera system, although I would have loved to see a telephoto lens here, which I often use on other phones. The phone is also stylish and turns heads – if that is important to you. Lastly, if you can afford it at the said price, the N2 is a terrific bargain bearing in mind the competition is substantially more expensive. You also get a familiar phone if you use an OPPO device. The only thing we might want to see in the N3 is some form of ingress protection for some kind of water or dust resistance because the competition has already implemented these features.
